If you are planning to quit smoking by giving vaping a shot, then here’s some news for you ladies–it ain’t going to help you much.
A US government report says that there is not enough evidence to conclude that e-cigarettes help smokers quit tobacco as the vaping industry faces increased regulatory pressures.
The advice is contrary to that provided by the British government, which classes e-cigarettes as a nicotine replacement therapy that makes it easier to stop smoking.
“E-cigarettes, a continually changing and diverse group of products, are used in a variety of ways,” said the report on Smoking Cessation issued by the Surgeon General, the first on the topic since 1990.
The report says:
Therefore, it is difficult to make generalizations about efficacy for cessation based on clinical trials involving a particular e-cigarette. There is presently inadequate evidence to conclude that e-cigarettes, in general, increase smoking cessation.
To quit smoking you can try nicotine patches and lozenges instead
Speaking to reporters, American Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that while he had heard anecdotal accounts of e-cigarettes helping people quit, and there was some scientific literature supporting the idea. “This report is based on over 150 expert contributors, reviewing the totality of scientific data,” he said.
The report did say that cessation medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration, such as nicotine patches and lozenges, as well as counseling, “increase the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking, particularly when used in combination.”
Also, read: 5 practical ways to help your partner quit smoking once and for all!
“Behavioral counseling and FDA approved medications according to the science compiled this report, actually, double the chance that someone can successfully quit when used in concert,” added Adams.
This includes the free-to-use government “quitline.”
The advice comes weeks after the US government announced it was banning most flavored e-cigarettes in a bid to curb the rising tide of youth vaping.
Under industry pressure, it stopped short of the full ban promised in September by the White House.
The report found that although cigarette smoking among American adults is at an all-time low (14 percent), it remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death.
Also, read: Cigarette smoking may cost you your mental health. Here’s how
Approximately 34 million American adults smoke cigarettes and 16 million live with smoking-related disease.
More than three out of five US adults who have ever smoked cigarettes have quit, with cessation reducing the risk of early death and adding as much as a decade to life expectancy.
So, it’s a great idea to call smoking a quits but there are other ways that you can use instead of indulging in vaping. For example exercising, practicing meditation, indulging in a hobby, staying away from stressful situations, and eating a healthy diet are few such things. Do give them a shot and get rid of this unhealthy habit.
With inputs from AFP
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